Bumpy Road

Lisa's road to recovery is proving to be a bumpy ride..a really bumpy ride. 

I went to see her on Saturday, and thought that she was not as perky as Thursday when I last saw her. Sunday, after church, she was laying on her side and was very sleepy...what's up? Today, I went to see her after I dropped off the kids at VBS and came in to her laying on her back, and shifted over to the side. She was almost comatose. Aaron, is her nurse. He told me that for an hour he tried to wake her up. She is not responding to him at all. He told me he sang songs to her, put damp cloths on her face, tried to stimulate her by putting her ankle brace on and just trying...all to no avail. I walked to the nurses station and talked to Kim...she looked at the Dr who stood up and walked over to me and told me of their concerns. Lisa had a CT scan to figure out if there is something going on in her brain. She told me she thinks that Lisa has fluid building up on her brain and wanted Dr Tracy to take a look. Dr Tracy didn't seem concerned about it, but Lisa's rehab Dr was not going to settle for that. She said that she wanted him to compare his CT scan to hers...in order for him to see it she could FedEx it or we could take it to Peoria...we will take it, when it is ready.

I walk in to the room and start talking to her...she is laying there with her eyes closed and her face toward the window. Totally out! Sleeping. As I am talking to her, she is not responding to anything I am saying...usually she says "hi Karla" nothing. I take her face into my hands and start moving her head and teasing her that she is ignoring me. She mumbles something but I cannot make it out. Aaron walks in and he is listening to me talk to Lisa. He is worried about her, and decides to pull in his computer to do his charting for all his other patients in Lisa's room. I talk to him about Lisa, her accomplishments, her fear (of not a stroke, or dying, but) of not remembering how to get to Park View Inn. I am trying to be positive, but I am finding it nearly impossible at this point. Aaron told me that he is scared too.

I am standing close to Lisa, practically on top of her talking to her, teasing her, asking her questions, she answered a few of them and Aaron was happy that she did. He told me that was the first he had heard her say. It was very weak, and mumbled and I had to get close to hear it, but she responded appropriately to my questions. She coughed too. That was good. Aaron has not been able to give her any medications, the nurses don't want her to choke.

Dr Somerlin told me that if there is fluid on her brain, Lisa will be transported back to St Francis to have a shunt put in to take the fluid out. I am totally fine with that, not scared about it at all, know several kids and adults who have had that done. It is common among the population that I have worked with. Just do something!

Dr Somerlin came into the room to talk to me, she said, "I know how hard this is for all of you...but don't give up...we thought that this was a post op thing with her, that she would pull out of this...clearly, she is not getting better and we will figure this out. Once we do, we could see her bounce back and be ready to get to work and do really well...We will figure this out." I am holding on to Lisa's hand and she is squeezing it from time to time. I have tears in my eyes as the Dr is talking to me. I just say thank you.

It is just me and Lisa in the room and I keep telling her that when she wakes up, she will work hard to go back home. She squeezed my hand. I told her that we are going to help her to get better, to get out of the hospital, she mumbles "good".

It is hard to see her just laying there. She needs prayers to heal her. I have to go to pick up my kids at VBS...Karen will be here and Amy is coming from Champaign to be with her. She will be fine. We just pray that it is soon.